WhyNothingWorks.docVIP

Unit 8 Text 1 Why Nothing Works Ⅰ. Learning objectives Learn to use exemplification, illustration and contrast in expository writing. Learn to develop a topic through a causal analysis. Ⅱ. Warm-up questions What’s the issue being discussed in the present text? Do you think the issue relevant to us or not? Have you ever bought something, like a fountain pen, a cassette recorder, or a watch, which broke down or went out of order shortly after use. Were you frustrated by this, feeling that you’d been cheated? Who did you normally blame for this? What did you think are the causes for such problem? What do people usually think are the factors related to good quality in products? What do they think are the causes for shoddy goods? How does the author of the present text think differently? Regarding the problem of shoddy goods, what factors are specified by the author? Which factor does he regard as primary, human or technology? Why? Do you agree with him? What is the message that the author intends to get across to us? Can you find the message explicitly stated in text? What do you think is the thesis statement of the text? 6. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the author’s argument? Ⅲ. Relevant information 1. The author Marvin Harris teaches anthropology at the University of Florida. He writes about American life from the point of view of the anthropologist in Cannibals and Kings(1977)and America Now (1981), from which the text is taken 2. Murphy’s Law (墨菲法则:一种认为凡有可能出差错的事终将出差错的俏皮法则) This is a humorous maxim，declaring that in general, if anything can go wrong, it will. The law originated in 1949 with Captain ED Murphy, an aircraft engineer. Referring to a technician, he said, “if there is any way to do it wrong, he will.” The project manager, George E. Nichols, assigned the name “Murphy’s Law” to that and similar statement. Additional forms of Murphy’s Law include: “Nothing is as easy as it looks.” “Everything takes longer than you think it wil